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o u t r e a c h ovations C o l FA | t h e c o l l e g e o f l i b e r a l a n d f i n e a r t s Vo l 4 2 0 0 9

Voices Unheard Shedding light on the United Farm Workers movement in Texas UTSA® c o n t e n t s connections 2 connections 4 celebrating Teaching

If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. 6 Practical PR I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music … I get most joy in life out of music.1 8 cool It ­—Albert Einstein 11 Witness to the Fall

14 voices Unheard

18 Music on the Move

20 aLumni Profile: brenda Davidson-Shaddox

22 aWards and Accolades

24 your Gifts Make a Difference

ne of the great pleasures of involvement in the liberal Longtime COLFA supporter and teacher Dr. Jerald ovations and fine arts is watching how students awaken to the Winakur has garnered nationwide praise for his book possibilities that lie across the traditional boundaries Memory Lessons for its sensitive and personal exploration Oof knowledge. “Interdisciplinary learning” is one of the buzz- of aging and for the superb quality of this geriatrician’s prose. words of modern higher education, but it means more than Businesswoman and English alumna Brenda Davidson- taking some team-taught courses. Becoming a learned person, Shaddox is a thriving photojournalist whose program of today more than ever, means moving comfortably among dif- exploration in Myanmar is at once ecological, artistic and ferent intellectual domains and yielding at least sometimes to anthropological. raw curiosity and the desire for self-expression. Mary Pat Stumberg understands the enriching power of Our college is especially fertile for this kind of discovery music. She has made an unusual, visionary scholarship gift because it brings the arts, humanities and social sciences close specifically to support students from the science and technol- Memory Lessons 11 UFW movement in Texas 14 Hidden world of Myanmar 20 together, and because it involves virtually all UTSA students ogy majors who are also studying music. Another wonder- in these subjects through the core curriculum. And so, although ful gift comes from Drs. Rajam and Somayagi Ramamurthy. we are duly proud that COLFA is the largest UTSA college, and These distinguished physicians are well-known for their advo- more UTSA students are majoring in the liberal and fine arts cacy of classical Indian dance. Their new endowment in the than other disciplines, we also cherish our role in helping all Department of Music will support visiting artists and scholars UTSA students prepare broadly. in Indian dance, music and culture and will be foundational Among the most ardent and generous supporters of the col- to our new dance program. lege are several who have been highly successful in careers in Thanks to such imaginative benefactors, and through the business, law, medicine and technology. Some have spoken hard work of a talented and devoted COLFA faculty, our world wistfully about not having followed their passion for music, will be populated with more physicists who see their lives in painting, acting or archaeology. Most, however, have preserved terms of music; attorneys with the sensibilities of the historian such interests as a dimension of their lives, pursuing creative or and sociologist; teachers, pharmacists and accountants whose scholarly work themselves (and often at distinguished levels) or lives exude art and poetry. nurturing it in others. These individuals are great exemplars for our current students.

Dean

Cover : Mural painted by Artemio Guerra Garza at the Rebecca Flores at the 1979 UFW UFW hall, San Juan, Texas. 1”What Life Means to Einstein: An Interview by George Sylvester Viereck,” for the October 26, 1929, issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Convention in Fresno, Calif. Story on page 14. Photo by Josue Esparza. 2 3 Celebrating Students and peers This year’s COLFA awardees were Ben campuswide comes a responsibility for will pick up on that and get excited about praise COLFA faculty Olguin in the Department of English and the faculty to keep improving their skills. it. Use humor and meet them where they Deborah Wagner in the Department One way they do that is through the are. There’s always another perspective.” by Lisa Chantos of Anthropology. Olguin, an associate UTSA Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). As the dean of COLFA, Gelo has active- professor who has taught more than 50 Directed by Barbara Millis, an award- ly been promoting those very same qual- Teaching graduate and undergraduate courses, winning teacher and researcher, the TLC ities in his faculty. Among the deans, no “I wish I could take him for These are just two comments from the A lecturer in the Department of Mod- was recognized as being a tough yet promotes better teaching and helps good one has been more active in promoting every class, in every subject. stream of reviews left for Joe Rogers, ern Languages and Literatures, Cano thorough professor by his students. One teaching be recognized and rewarded. the TLC and its mission of teaching excel- Be prepared to think.” retired UTSA professor, on RateMyProfes- was nominated by student Jim Geiger. student wrote, “What I really liked is Since Millis arrived at UTSA last lence than Gelo, Millis says. “I learn more in his classes sors.com. After three years of teaching at According to Geiger, Cano positively that the instructor got us to open our August, the TLC has hosted 61 workshops “It shows not only that they care, but than I do in all my UTSA, Rogers was not only the sole Texas reinforces student learning, which builds minds and to think.” and brownbag sessions on how to teach that they’re willing to invest the time,” classes put together.” professor to make the Top 10, but he was confidence in students regarding their Wagner, an alumna and instructor, effectively. Of the 431 people who attend- she says. “Change takes time and it takes also ranked sixth out of over 1 million ability to learn. was praised for challenging students to ed the sessions, 125 were from COLFA. thought.” O professors on the Web site, which scores “Dr. Cano encourages students critically evaluate ideas and arguments “They can be proud of that,” Mil- them on a scale of 1 to 5 in categories to take bold steps across a linguis- by encouraging active participation in lis says. “You can’t learn until you pay such as clarity, helpfulness and easiness. tic bridge into the Spanish-speaking the classroom. attention. You have to focus your atten- The Teaching and From the boundless Web to the more world,” he says. “She has proven to be one of the tion. The COLFA folks are there in the Learning Center intimate confines of the individual col- Oleszkiewicz-Peralba teaches courses most inspiring and influential individ- workshops paying attention, and I think at a glance lege, professors in the College of Liberal in Latin American culture and women uals I have encountered in an academic there’s a direct connection.” Major initiatives undertaken by and Fine Arts are being recognized for writers in the Department of Modern setting,” wrote one student. It’s critical that universities focus on the TLC this last year include: demonstrating excellence in teaching. Languages and Literatures. Her nomina- And recently, Richard Gambitta, asso- the teaching that occurs in their class- • 61 workshops and brown bag sessions for graduate students and faculty to promote Some recognition comes from students, tor, Alejandra Osejo, says Oleszkiewicz- ciate professor of political science and rooms, Millis says. Too often, there’s so teaching effectiveness. The TLC brought in others from peers. Peralba fosters critical thinking in and director of the UTSA Institute for Law much emphasis placed on research that nationally recognized outside presenters to “Whatever else we do in the College of out of the classroom. and Public Affairs, was one of 73 faculty classroom learning gets brushed aside. run the sessions. Liberal and Fine Arts, teaching is our main “Dr. Peralba is an encyclopedia of members given Outstanding Teaching But a good teacher can make an enor- • workshops for nine Master Teaching Fellows (now called University Teaching Fellows) job,” says Dean Daniel J. Gelo. “We recruit Latin art, culture and literature, and Awards from the University of Texas Sys- mous difference, she says. focused on professional development. The and retain strong teachers and are fortu- this makes her a perfect professor for tem Board of Regents. The award, given “A good teacher can help people not workshop topics included microteaching, nate to have many truly excellent ones this year’s award,” Osejo says. in recognition of high quality undergrad- only learn important things—things conducting effective classroom observations, who have been recognized with awards.” Several COLFA faculty have also uate teaching, also came with $30,000. meaning knowledge and skills and abili- conducting focus groups, cooperative learn- ing and classroom assessment techniques. Students aren’t just ranking their earned the President’s Distinguished ties—but they can also impact affective • intense training for all new graduate teach- favorite professors online. In 2009, Achievement Award for Teaching Excel- Teaching excellence factors like feelings, emotions and eth- ing assistants. Provided in-depth microteach- nominations were sent in by students lence. These awards represent peer rec- COLFA faculty members are noted for ics,” she says. ing using teaching fellows that followed a from every college for the Distinguished ognition for excellence in the classroom, excellence in teaching partly because “A teacher who inspires can lead stu- teaching assistant panel. Sixty-five teaching assistants participated. Faculty Awards, which are presented by says David Johnson, history professor they get so much practice, Johnson says. dents down a path to lifelong learning. A • the four-day Provost’s Academy on Critical the UTSA Alumni Association and the and former vice provost for academic “The college handles a great deal of good teacher is also a good human being.” Thinking at the HemisFair Park Campus with Student Alumni Association. and faculty support. the core curriculum and gets most of the Rogers, whose teaching merits are over 40 attendees and two nationally known COLFA faculty members Lilian Cano, a The awards “are fundamentally an university students,” he says. “We have a widely known thanks to the Internet, outside speakers. ©[Ken Oridas] c/o the ispot non-tenure track lecturer in Spanish, and evaluation of the nominee’s work in the heavy responsibility to prepare students says his teaching philosophy is easy. • a Graduate Student Project Completion Malgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba, associ- classroom. The focus is on the effective- for the rest of their studies.” “You have to be passionate about Competition, planned along with the Graduate Student Association. ate professor of Latin American studies, ness of teaching and teaching innova- With COLFA’s role in teaching students what you teach,” he says. “The students were two recipients of this year’s awards. tion,” he says. teaching Awards Daniel J. Gelo: dean of the College of Liberal Mary McNaughton-Cassill: associate Richard Gambitta: associate professor in Kolleen Guy: associate professor in Malgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba: associ- Deborah Wagner: lecturer in the Depart- and Fine Arts and professor in the Depart- professor in the Department of Psychology, the Department of Political Science, Presi- the Department of History, President’s ate professor of Latin American studies in ment of Anthropology, President’s Distin- ment of Anthropology, the Chancellor’s Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching dent’s Distinguished Achievement Award Distinguished Achievement Award for the Department of Modern Languages and guished Achievement Award for Core Council Outstanding Teaching Award, 1996 Award, 2004 for Teaching Excellence, Tenured Faculty, Teaching Excellence, Tenured and Tenure- Literatures, Distinguished Faculty Award, Curriculum Teaching, 2009 Ronald Binks: professor in the Department Marian Aitches: senior lecturer in the and the Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Track Faculty, 2008 (tenure track) 2009 of Art and Art History, President’s Distin- Department of History, President’s Distin- Teaching Award, 2007; Outstanding Teaching Lilian Cano: lecturer in Spanish in the Ben Olguin: associate professor in guished Achievement Award for Teaching guished Achievement Award for Core Award from the University of Texas System Department of Modern Languages and Lit- the Department of English, President’s Dis- Excellence, Tenured and Tenure-Track Curriculum Teaching, Non-Tenure Track Boared of Regents eratures, Distinguished Faculty Award, tinguished Achievement Award for Teaching Faculty, 2004 Faculty, 2007 (non-tenure track) 2009 Excellence, Tenured Faculty, 2009

4 5 The students, all members of the Pub- That sense of community caring is lic Relations Student Society of America clear, says Erica Benavides, community Steven R. Levitt chapter at UTSA, are investments manager for the San Anto- applying their creativity and enthusiasm nio Food Bank. “The fact that they’re to a variety of projects, including han- choosing to work with nonprofit organi- Through Unity PR, students also learn dling media relations and event coor- zations and give back to the community that the perceived glitz and glamour ed in the classr dination for several nonprofit clients in is very admirable,” Benavides says. “I can’t of public relations—hobnobbing with arn oom San Antonio. This past summer were two say enough about what they’ve done celebrities at gala events or chitchatting s le a ill nd events supporting the San Antonio Food to help us, wanting to be there in the at country club benefits—isn’t reality. sk a trenches with us, helping to do what we e p Bank: the May “Interfaith: Hunger Knows Instead, Meuth says, the students found k p a ly No Boundaries” event with area religious need to do. It’s been a great help to us.” that PR involves a lot of behind-the- t s t Of course, there are benefits for stu- t h organizations, and the “Doing Good on scenes grunt work: things like cold-call- n e dents as well. “It’s taught me a lot, not e m the Green” golf tournament in June. ing sponsors, setting up tables at events d t “This is crunch time,” Finder says, just professionally but personally,” Finder and keeping registration forms in order. u o t says. “Having to communicate with so S t laughing a little. “No summers off for us.” “It’s fun, but it’s a lot of hard work,” she h

e Unity PR got its start helping San many people, working with so many dif- says. “There’s a lot of planning and a lot

r ferent groups … my organizational skills e Antonio’s Med Center Rotary Club throw of organization behind everything.”

a have increased dramatically. I’m better at

l the 2007 Nightingale Gala, which raised That’s a valuable lesson for public

w $47,000 for nursing scholarships. Then, in writing, at communicating effectively, at relations students, says Jeneen Garcia, o

r 2008, students helped build on the suc- delegating and at working with people.” director of education for the national l

Practical PR d Levitt calls Unity PR a win-win situ- cess of the Child Advocates San Antonio PRSSA organization. There are no firm annual 5K run, attracting media atten- ation. “The students benefit by gaining numbers of how “There are always organizations By tion and helping raise almost $25,000 experience, making contacts and learn- many PRSSA chap- Jennifer For Allison Finder, the great joy of public in town looking for help, and the for neglected or abused area children ing how PR works outside the classroom. ters have their own Roolf relations is seeing how everything—some- Our clients benefit with good results,” students do good work. So far, Laster times miraculously—falls into place. needing an advocate. That same year, agency, but Garcia students worked with the Battle of Flow- Levitt says, pointing out that Unity PR’s estimates around the focus has been exclusively on “It’s kind of like a miracle sometimes,” says the UTSA ers Association, which throws the annual work helped to double the number of 35 to 40 percent nonprofit organizations. We want senior. “You start with something way over your head, and Battle of Flowers parade during Fiesta participants at the CASA 5K and exceed of the nation’s 303 to help the community, and that’s then break it out into pieces. Then, somehow, all the piec- San Antonio. the desired fundraising amount for the chapters have a where their work can have the es of the puzzle fall into place: the fliers, the releases, the “Clients come to us,” says Steven Nightingale Gala by almost $20,000. student-run firm biggest impact.” ­­ phone calls, the volunteers. I love seeing how, slowly but Levitt, chair of the UTSA Department Levitt gets his own benefit, too, he like Unity PR. —Steven Levitt surely, it all comes together.” of Communication and PRSSA adviser. says. “I’ve learned a lot from the students. “Public relations is more than just It’s something Finder has a chance to see through her “There are always organizations in town I like the energy they have. The students event planning or media relations. It’s work as director of Unity PR, a student-run public relations looking for help, and the students do are bright-eyed and ambitious and ener- strategic communications,” she says. firm that works with a variety of clients in the city. good work. So far, the focus has been getic. They’ve got this vision and all this “Giving students the chance to be part Founded in 2006, Unity PR works like any other pub- exclusively on nonprofit organizations. good energy.” of a firm and see it in action helps them lic relations firm, except for one big difference. Everyone We want to help the community, and Gregory Frieden, a 2007 graduate make a decision about the career.” on staff is a student. And, really, well … there isn’t a staff, that’s where their work can have the big- who helped found the Unity PR firm, Frieden, who now sits on the board come to think of it. gest impact.” was a big part of the company’s vision. of the San Antonio chapter of the Public Instead, Unity PR is a volunteer group of enterprising Even the company’s name reflects He wanted an outlet where he and other Relations Society of America, agrees. students with the desire to learn more about public rela- that spirit. Led by Kari Meuth, a 2009 communications students could really “The opportunity I was given as a stu- tions, the drive to help their community, and the initiative graduate and past president of the orga- take what they were learning in class and dent [with Unity PR] definitely helped to seek real-world experience. nization, students chose the name Unity test it out. me be better prepared,” he says. “Like a “We are a student-run public relations firm,” Finder says. PR to represent “University, Community “Part of being a public relations stu- lot of students, I went to that first meet- “We’re hungry. We’re ready for anything. We’re just want- … Unity PR.” dent is wanting to aspire to something ing because I wanted something on my ing to take what we learn in the classroom and apply it in “We’re students at a university, and we better than just learning the theory,” Frie- résumé. But within minutes, I knew this the PR working world.” wanted people to know that, and we’re den says. “You should learn the practice. was a place where I could really experi- also members of a community, and we And the best way to learn practice is a ence things and learn. I’m proud to have wanted that to be clear, too,” Meuth says. real live campaign, a real project where been part of it.” O you dive in and do it.”

6 7 Illustration by Ken Coffelt

UTSA researcher studies causes, remedies to anger By Kate Hunger that helps people deal with something constructive or destructive their anger is. stimulus control, sign a contract pledg- that offends them. What sparks anger These six dimensions form the basis of ing to control their anger at its onset. We’ve all felt it … the clench of the jaw, the flush- techniques,” Fernandez says. “You went “Anger is ubiquitous, and maybe our in one person may barely register the Anger Expressions Scale. Most of the approximately 100 people Being angry feels ing of the cheeks, the fire in the eyes. We’ve all in for anger management in the past threshold for anger seems to have been with another. The Anger Expressions Scale and who have already undergone CBAT bad, because it is experienced anger, a completely normal and very and usually you got relaxation and self lowered over time,” he says. “It’s invariably an unpleasant emo- another tool Fernandez developed, the showed improvement at this phase; if a survival strategy human emotional state that ranges from mild talk: breathe deep and try to reason your Anger portrayed in the media has tion, in the company of other unpleasant Anger Parameter Scale, which rates the they didn’t, they received additional that helps people to raging. But not everyone handles the emotion way out of this anger. That’s fine. I incor- spawned stereotypes that aren’t par- emotions of which there are many: jeal- frequency, duration and intensity of defusing strategies in the third week, deal with some- gracefully. When anger explodes, when it festers, porate both of those in my anger regu- ticularly useful. Fernandez emphasizes ousy, fear, sadness, shame, contempt,” he anger, are used to assess and possibly dubbed the intervention phase. These thing that offends skills include thought stopping—quietly when it sours work and personal relationships lation program, too. But I don’t think it’s that only infrequently does anger lead explains. “On the positive end, you have diagnose the type and severity of anger them. What sparks enough.” to aggressive acts or even to violence. joy. … This is a reflection on the human problems. Those who meet the criteria repeating a word or phrase that means and even threatens health, the time to get help anger in one per- Plainly put, Fernandez wants to help Aggression and violence sometimes species, that we have much more of a for an anger problem or disorder then the opposite of anger, such as “peace” has arrived, says UTSA clinical psychology son may barely professor Ephrem Fernandez. people deal with anger in a healthy way. are born out of thrill-seeking or other vocabulary for the negative. Evolution- can participate in Fernandez’s four-week or “settle down,” to interrupt anger. They Anger managed poorly can wreak havoc motives, he says. Sometimes, anger can ary psychology gives us a reason for why program of Cognitive Behavioral Affec- also learn relaxation and attention diver- register with But just what sort of help has typically on career and family, not to mention be positive and useful. that is the case, and it’s basically that it tive Therapy (CBAT). The next program sion techniques, such as taking a walk or another. been available? In Fernandez’s view, a your health. Cardiovascular problems, “Anger has tremendous motivational has greater survival significance to know will likely be offered in spring 2010 in Fer- watching television. The key technique fairly limited set of options. To remedy as well as substance abuse, are serious energy which can be harnessed produc- what is wrong than to be continuously nandez’s office suite at UTSA. in this phase centers on reappraisal, in that, he has developed an anger man- effects of dysfunctional anger, he says. tively, too,” he says. reminded of what is right.” The treatment is tailored to partici- which each person assesses the inten- agement therapy that he believes will But when someone’s anger impedes pants’ own anger profiles. The program is tion of the offender and the extent of the revolutionize the way anger problems What is anger? his ability to function at work or in rela- Anger expression styles currently designed for adults. Fernandez damage. The fourth week usually shows are treated. His method, called Cogni- Until recently, this powerful emotion tionships, that’s a sign it is maladaptive. About seven years ago, Fernandez cre- expects to refine it for use with adoles- even more improvement, with a drop tive Behavioral Affective Therapy, grew had gone relatively unexplored, particu- That is where Fernandez believes he ated the Anger Expressions Scale, a tool cents, taking into account their cognitive in the duration, intensity and frequency out of more than a decade of research. larly compared to depression and anxi- has developed better ways to diagnose used to map the ways people express development and social maturation. of anger. The final week of the program It integrates techniques from multiple ety. There is much to learn—including anger disorders and treat people with their anger. Anger may be a universal CBAT is designed around a sequence offers what Fernandez calls “postven- schools of psychotherapy and is tai- why people experience and respond to such disorders. human emotion, but the ways people of anger management skills. The first tion” skills, another line of defense in lored to each client’s anger profile. This anger in such different ways. The man- “We’ve had people in our groups, act on it—who they direct it toward, week begins by educating participants anger management. These include approach yields a comprehensive and ner in which families and peers deal people with no criminal records, men whether they hold it inside or put it on anger and its effects on their lives. expressive writing, art therapy and the customized therapy that Fernandez says with anger seems to influence how we and women, white collar people, blue out there for the world to see, whether Each person is asked to self-monitor Gestalt empty chair technique—speak- is an improvement over the standard ultimately experience and express the collar people, all walks of life, who have they retaliate or resist the object of their his or her anger for a week and report ing to the object of anger, in imaginary one-size-fits-most solution. emotion, Fernandez says. Also intriguing anger problems,” Fernandez says. anger, use words or fists, maintain or lose back. Prevention is the hallmark of the form, to release pent-up emotion. “There was a time when the treat- is the tenor of our times and its effect on Being angry feels bad, Fernandez control, or seek revenge or an apology— second week, and participants, armed “We are there to train them in skills ment consisted mainly of stand-alone anger in the community. explains, because it is a survival strategy all of these reactions say a lot about how with a battery of techniques such as they can use on their own to self-regulate

8 9 Anger in San Antonio that her frustration mounts while caring Fernandez and his undergraduate and for them single-handedly. She said she graduate students are working on a only vented when her spouse returned community anger survey. From the esti- home. “She didn’t want to let out her mated several hundred people who will anger on the children,” Garza says. undergo 20-minute structured inter- views, he and his research assistants will The goal: constructive anger identify those with problematic anger. So, if anger is a fact of life, how can we These can be further screened before get the most out of it while minimizing people will be eligible to participate in the unpleasantness? Constructive anger Illustration by Ken Coffelt CBAT, he says. is the goal, says Fernandez. That includes anger,” Fernandez says. “Because much of “We’re trying to create a baseline verbal communication with feedback this anger is not going to happen in the for how angry the community is,” says directed to the offending person instead sessions. It’s going to happen at home, research assistant Robert Vargas, who by of unrelated, convenient targets, and on the roads, at work, in the marketplace the end of the spring semester at UTSA a willingness to forgo punishment in so to speak.” had conducted about 50 interviews for favor of a return to normality. Choos- The goal is a better, more effective the study, which is intended “to help us ing constructive anger means avoiding anger experience and resolution. pinpoint where people’s anger is from.” active retaliation or passive-aggressive “I believe in the optimality concept One common source of anger among responses. here,” he says. “We are not going to the first group of participants surfaces Fernandez encourages people to Witness preach abstinence from anger or total on the city’s roadways, says research search for the good in the people who A doctor wrestles restraint from getting angry. The aim assistant Cynthia Garza, who received a flip the switch on their anger. with the helplessness is not to rid people of anger. Anger is a B.A. in psychology in 2008. “The big trap is anger cheats us in the of Alzheimer’s message to yourself that something “Traffic is a really big example that moment into thinking that this person is to the is wrong, just as fear is a message that people hit on,” she says, adding that all bad. … I will tell them you can, in the there is danger and you need to escape.” some respond by simply steering clear of worst person, find something redeem- “ With the publication this year of a a driver who has cut them off, while oth- ing and to look for that. They’ll come chapter explaining CBAT in the Interna- ers relate that the rude treatment ruins back to me the next week and say, ‘I At night he falls between the bed and the three tional Handbook of Anger, Fernandez is their day. stopped in the moment and I thought, steps to the john. He falls finding his way to the hoping the therapy will become part of Although their current sample size you know what, she’s my wife. I mar- living room. He is tipping over his walker, he is standard practice in treating anger. is small, Garza says there appear to be ried her.’ Or, ‘He’s my father,’ or, ‘This is my fall “Our objective is to identify problem- some gender differences emerging. Men daughter I’m talking to, and fundamen- By Cindy Tumiel tripping over his feet, he is looking to lean on arms atic anger, and having identified it, to have been more likely to pinpoint their tally I love her.’ ” that aren’t there. His dreams call to him: He follows be able to help people find the optimal jobs as anger triggers. Women caring for That is just one illustration of redemp- the instructions of his dead siblings, his Army drill expression of anger, one that is presum- children have cited family as a source. tion that Fernandez believes can push ably constructive as opposed to destruc- One participant, a new stay-at-home problematic anger to a more peaceful instructor. He is called by the alarm company to tive,” Fernandez says. mom of three young children, shared and ultimately, positive, place. O come down to the pawnshop, by the MPs to report to his unit, by his mother to come in for dinner, and

Ephrem Fernandez, Professor of Clinical/Health Psychology on the way he falls. He gets hung up in his night- In the photo: Education... B.A., with honors, University of Western Australia; M.A., Miami University; Ph.D., Leonard Winakur shirt, tangled in his pants, slips in floppy socks, Ohio State University; internship in clinical psychology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School holding a 4-year-old Jerry outside of their can’t find his shoes because we have hidden them. My students might say... He is thoughtful and expressive and makes teaching an interesting two-way apartment in 1953. interaction; his psychology is strongly grounded in theory, yet always driven to application, and in this way He falls at the front door calling for his mother, his Dr. E.F. makes psychology credible in tackling important and current human problems. sisters, his old Army buddies, Nates and Sammy. In my leisure time I… Exhale more, and let my mind wander away from the here and now. Music is always around, whether it’s on the air or of my own making. Also searching for novel cuisine and exotic culture. And I am failing; I, his son, the physician, With that comes travel and good company. am failing to keep my father from falling.” My favorite place in the world is… Tahiti, and really all of Polynesia, and parts of South Asia. When I retire... I hope to have something left in my retirement fund, to have most of my mental faculties and to be in a world with some good left in it.

10 11 Dr. Jerald Winakur had more knowl- doctor who balances the dual responsi- as they faced difficult decisions regard- time between their shifts loading gaso- in February 2006, as his wife, Frances, edge than most as he faced the frailties bilities of a son and a physician, and who ing their father. It wove together per- line cans onto ships bound for Patton’s slept in the next room, he rose from bed, of his father’s advancing age. He is a San has seen the aging process in his patients sonal elements with a stark picture of Army as it barreled across Europe, or managed to walk through the house Antonio internal medicine and geriatrics and who knows too much about the sad the American medical system and its waiting to be sent over themselves. The without falling, opened a bolted door specialist who has built a thriving prac- realities that await his own father. limitations on the care available for the soldiers crowded around the table, urg- and wandered into the yard. His wife tice that tends to the special needs of “You can have all the scientific knowl- growing population of the “oldest old,” ing my father on with their bravado, the found him lying in the grass a few hours older patients, working in an era when edge and all the clinical knowledge, but a phrase used to describe people over smoke from their ration of Lucky Strikes later, dead from hypothermia. the marvels of advancing medicine have when it is in your own family, you are in the age of 85. and Camels filling the barracks. They More than a year later, Frances made it possible for people to live to ripe a conflicted role,” Winakur says. “You are a Winakur’s essay was reprinted in the put down their pay and their packs of Winakur finally began sorting through old ages. son struggling with a frail and demented Washington Post, which carried him into cigarettes, betting on their pal Winnie the personal belongings, asking her sons But all that experience and all that father, and you also, as a doctor, have a the national media spotlight. His work to keep slamming those little white balls to take what items and memories they knowledge didn’t spare Winakur heart- very keen awareness of what is coming.” was published in a number of newspa- down the throats of his opponents.” wanted from the room where Leonard ache and helplessness as his own father He began noticing memory lapses pers, and he was interviewed on National “I think it is a very important work in Winakur spent his last months. slipped down the road of frailty and and behavior changes in his father years Public Radio and other programs. terms of baring his soul and telling an The items include a drawer full of dementia. ago, as Leonard Winakur advanced He was soon contacted by an agent important story,” says Steven Kellman, pajamas and elastic-waist workout pants Facing those difficult times, the heal- through his 70s. But the sad moment of who offered to help him market a book on a professor of comparative literature at and shirts, the “uniforms of the oldest ing physician turned to his other gift— truth came in 2004 when heart problems the topic. A few months later the agent UTSA, who knows Winakur through writ- old,” Winakur writes. his love of words and his ability to cap- required surgery and an extended hos- called to say she’d found a publisher. It ers’ organizations in San Antonio. “When I bring the pile to my face and ture the poignant moments of a lifetime. pital stay. Away from his familiar home, was, Winakur says, “a scary moment.” After Memory Lessons was published, close my eyes, he is there. I slide them all It became his first book, Memory Lessons, Leonard Winakur lapsed into a state that “I looked at my wife and said, ‘How am Winakur drew an overflow crowd to the into a shopping bag. I will take them out A Doctor’s Story, which was published doctors call delirium, when the combi- I going to write a book?’ ” He already was Health Science Center when he did a to Comfort and put them away. One day, if this year by Hyperion Books. nation of a strange environment, illness practicing medicine, teaching and caring reading and book signing. Medical stu- I make it to as many years as my dad, I will Above: Jerry and Winakur, who and diminished cognitive abilities pro- for an ailing parent. Writing a book was dents and other spectators gave stand- wear these uniforms of my father’s oldest his father, Leonard, studied writing duces a disturbing change in behavior. one more task, but Winakur approached ing ovations and kept the event running days as I shuffle into my own. I will wrap outside their home in Baltimore in1963. Jerry at UTSA and now Some patients recover. But for others, it with honesty and heart. The diary-like beyond schedule as they asked ques- myself in his smells and no doubt add my was 15 at the time. teaches seminar the condition forces families to reckon work contrasts painful observations of tions and discussed the issues raised in own before it is over. I will feel him around classes in litera- with realities that have been lurking in Leonard Winakur’s demented state with the book, Kellman says. me. I will be him. ture here and at the shadows for some time. tender memories from years gone by, “This is a book we’ve needed,” says “I want to remember.” O the University of Leonard Winakur became delusion- when he reveled in books and nature Wendy Barker, poet in residence and pro- Texas Health Sci- al, irrational, paranoid and combative. and played a mean game of Ping-Pong. fessor at UTSA, whose classes Winakur ence Center at San He had to be subdued with physical “In my mind’s eye I see him playing, a attended. “We have been such an ageist Antonio, tells the restraints. For his family, the hospital stay gangly young man in Army fatigues, pale society. We have not looked to our elders life story of Leon- marked the beginning of a new life—for gray eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses— for the kind of wisdom and experience ard Winakur— him and for them. Winnie, his buddies called him—-taking we should. Jerry has raised such impor- father, husband, “I promised him and myself that I on all comers. His opponents flew in tant questions in this book,” she says. b u s i n e s s m a n , would try to manage everything I could on prop planes from other battalions, Leonard Winakur died before his son’s bird-watcher, book lover, World War II without nursing homes,” Winakur says. “I GIs, like my father, who were passing work was published. One chilly morning veteran, high school track star, expert was just going to try to manage every- Ping-Pong player, artist and, eventually, thing I could. I had medical knowledge Alzheimer’s patient. and resources to find help, and yet it was Much already has been written about still very difficult.” Winakur and his the heartache of Alzheimer’s disease, A year later, Winakur published an father in Leonard’s home in San Antonio a and this book is another touching por- essay about the experience, titled “What few months before his trait of a family struggling to cope with are we going to do with dad?” in Health death in 2006.

the insidious brain disease that slowly Affairs, a scholarly journal. robs victims of their memories and self- The title echoed a sentence uttered awareness. But it also is the story of a regularly by his younger brother, Michael,

12 13 voices César Chávez was grabbing national Then in October 1966, the Roma headlines with his 1966 boycott of Cali- Bridge Protest, which was intended to fornia grapes. keep Mexican national strike breakers Documentary sheds Now the professor hopes to educate from entering the United States, forced light on the United high school and college students and the closure of the bridge. It also resulted Farm Workers the public about the origins, struggles in the arrest of several UFW leaders. and accomplishments of Texas farm “It was a pivotal protest because movement in Texas workers like Rojas with her film docu- farm workers learned that if they By Rudy Arispe mentary, Voices of the United Farm Work- came together they could bring about Unhearders Movement in Texas, which follows the change,” Marquez says. “They were able Blanca Rojas could not have been more than 3 years old when she grassroots movement in Texas from its to get Mexicanos from Mexico, whom was introduced to migrant life, although her earliest memories of inception in 1966 to today. the growers were using as strike break- being surrounded by vast acres of Michigan strawberry fields are “It’s a key part of Texas history that ers, to join them. That’s pretty powerful.” happy ones. is missing and needs to be told,” says The efforts of farm laborers finally Because she was too young to work, the toddler sat patiently in Marquez. “The contributions of … farm paid off. In the 1980s and ’90s, legisla- the middle of the field as she stuffed her tummy with the plump, juicy worker women who devoted their entire tion was passed that gave them workers’ strawberries and watched as her father, mother, two brothers and six lives to the people who are out there compensation, minimum wage increas- sisters packed their small pails while toiling under the hot sun. picking crops are important in under- es and unemployment compensation. But at age 10, it was her turn. standing the history of Texas.” Other legislation mandated that toi- That’s when her father, Antonio, a native of Léon, Guanajuato, Marquez believes this significant lets and hand-washing stations be avail- Mexico, began taking Rojas with him during her summer breaks to piece of history largely has been ignored able in the fields. It also eliminated the pick cucumbers and squash in the Rio Grande Valley. Up at 5 a.m., she by academics and researchers, although forced use of the short-handled hoe that made sure to eat a big breakfast, knowing that breaks would be few. there is a wealth of information regard- required laborers to work in a bent- over Then she would pack her lunch, which consisted of a few tacos along ing farm workers’ activities in California. position as they crawled along dirt rows with a Thermos of water. The hard-fought struggle of the UFW for hours on end. “We started working right before the sun came up and worked began in 1966 in Delano, Calif., and was Marquez says that during her research until the sun went down,” says the 32-year-old Weslaco native who co-founded by Chávez, Dolores Huerta she was surprised to learn that women now calls San Antonio home. “It was pretty unbearable. I remember and Gil Padilla. Their intention was to played such a prominent role in the my fingers would get lots of stickers on them from the cucumbers, organize farm laborers to protect them leadership and membership of the Texas and they would sting. We used to get 50 cents per bucket. We didn’t from exploitation and inhumane work organization. take many breaks because the more breaks you took, the less num- conditions. Aware that Texas farm work- “If you come to the state of Texas, you ber of buckets you brought in.” ers also needed protection from unscru- better know women are in charge here,” pulous growers, Chávez sent farm work- UFW National President Arturo Rodri- Rojas’ story is representative of the er activist Eugene Nelson with Huerta guez says during an interview for the countless Mexican men, women and and Padilla to the Rio Grande Valley. documentary. “They have demonstrated children who descended upon the Rio With the trio’s assistance, Texas farm leadership, courage and sacrifice neces- Grande Valley agricultural fields and workers began to call for better working sary to take on the struggles and have harvested their bounty—the fruits and conditions and wages, and, more impor- included their families and communities vegetables that, ironically, they picked in tant, to take action so that their voices and really made this something special order to earn money to put food on their could be heard. The La Casita melon in terms of what’s taken place through- own family tables. strike in Starr County occurred in May out the years, and what continues to take The story of the Texas farm workers 1966 and was the first labor strike orga- place these days.” This mural was movement, particularly the involvement nized on behalf of Texas farm laborers. Ann Cass, a former UFW organizer painted by Reynosa, of women, has never been fully told, says In July 1966, the UFW march from San who was also interviewed for the film Mexico, artist Artemio Guerra Garza on the Raquel Marquez, UTSA associate profes- Juan, Texas, to Austin brought together project, knew firsthand the impact of wall of the UFW union sor of sociology and department chair. some 15,000 farm workers, labor activists female farm workers and how quickly hall in San Juan, Texas, in the early One reason, she says, is that while farm and supporters who walked more than they could mobilize. ’70s. Collaborators workers in Texas were demanding better 400 miles to the Capitol grounds, calling “They would get together in the were J. Jose Cuellar, working conditions and higher wages, Lupita Martinez, and for an increase of wages from 85 cents to colonias or in the fields and have meet- J. Medardo Perez. United Farm Workers (UFW) leader $1.25 per hour. ings and talk about problems they were 14 15 Huelga! Huelga! Farm workers strike in the Rio Grande Valley in the early ’70s. Photo by Rebecca Flores. From the Rebecca Flores collection.

having—if there was no water or toilets in the fields, and how much they were getting paid,” Cass says. “So they took those issues to the union where most of the union organizers were women.” It was also during this time that many politically conscious Mexican Americans who had actively supported the UFW began to run for political office with the strong support of union members, Marquez says. “Union activities in Texas and the tim- ing of it in the ’60s and ’70s, along with “And here were the Chicano movement, all coincided,” always make money, either. There was no standing up at the microphone and Rebecca Flores speaks at the UFW she says. “So for young Chicanos, this drinking water or sanitation in the fields. could speak on issues they determined farm workers who hall in San Juan, never thought they became a key part of their experience in We carried these tall, heavy, wooden lad- were a priority. César led the convention, Texas, in 1983. could be leaders, becoming politically active and develop- ders on our shoulders from tree to tree and politicians took notice because they and they were ing a group consciousness. because we had to scale the cherry trees. saw the potential of the union. When I “As people matured, some went to If you left one cherry on a tree, you had was growing up we wouldn’t admit we standing up at form of empowerment for Chicanas. Funding for the documentary comes taste of migrant life as an adolescent that college, some stayed in their towns, but to go back and get it. That was the rule.” were migrants. Now farm workers were “It counters the stereotype of Mexi- from grants from the Annie E. Casey convinced her that an education was her the microphone their original experiences influenced After getting an undergraduate saying, ‘We matter.’ ” canas that they’re passive women and Foundation, Raynier Institute & Founda- ticket to a better future. After graduat- and could speak them on how they continued to be polit- degree in sociology from St. Mary’s Uni- The face of the farm worker today is aren’t actively engaged in community tion, Humanities Texas and the Yip Har- ing from high school in 1995, Rojas was on issues they ically active and engaged in working for versity in 1970, she received a full schol- different from decades ago, Flores notes, affairs,” she says. “Mexicanas have a long burg Foundation. accepted into Brown University in Rhode determined were a the Mexican community.” arship to the University of Michigan. in that more immigrants and undocu- history in Texas of being active in labor “It’s another venue for people to Island, where she earned a bachelor’s priority.” Rebecca Flores, who served as direc- One day, Flores and her friends learned mented workers now labor in the fields. unions going back to the early 1900s.” learn that Mexican Americans were degree in cultural anthropology in 1999. —Rebecca Flores tor of UFW Texas from 1975 to 2005, says that Chávez would be visiting Detroit to “A majority of the immigrants are The film project includes interviews active in trying to bring about change Later, she obtained a master’s degree that as union membership grew in South speak to union members. After waiting young and don’t bring their families to with 19 people, including UFW local and and improve the lives of their families in English as a second language and in Texas, Mexican Americans had the power in line, Flores and her classmates finally work with them,” she says. “Young men national leaders, activists, farm work- and communities,” Marquez says. “Every- administration from the University of to influence elections. got to meet him. come here to work hard and send money ers and elected officials. Marquez and body knows who Dolores Huerta is, but Texas–Pan American. Today, she is an ESL “The Valley is 85 percent Mexican, and “We told him who we were and where home. If you try to organize them and videographer David Sims have shot 60 nobody knows who Rebecca Flores is. teacher specialist for the San Antonio almost everyone has roots in the fields,” we were from,” she says. “He said, ‘OK. So say, ‘don’t you want to form a union,’ hours of footage that still needs to be My goal is to write a book after the doc- Independent School District. WEB EXTRA: To see a preview of Flores says. “A lot of leaders who went to you’re getting your master’s degree, and they’ll say yes but they’re afraid they will edited into a one-hour documentary. umentary is released that will tell the “I think [working in the fields] made the film documen- college understood the conditions in the after you graduate you will get swept get fired. I admire those workers who say When the film is completed in 2010, as bigger story.” me stronger because I knew I didn’t tary, Voices of the fields, so they sympathized with laborers. into the system and we will never see they want to form a union, but growers Marquez expects, it will be screened at Meanwhile, Blanca Rojas cherishes want to do that for the rest of my life,” United Farm Workers There were a lot of people we helped get you again. You have to make a commit- have so much power. They’ll scare [the UTSA, the University of Texas–Pan Ameri- her early memories of the strawberry Rojas says. “I wanted to be able to sup- Movement in Texas, go to www.colfa. into office with the understanding they ment to go back to support your com- farm workers] and threaten to call immi- can, the University of Texas at Austin, the fields in Michigan, and still remembers port myself with my intelligence rather utsa.edu/colfa/ would carry our bills.” munity.’ So I made a decision to work for gration, so many are afraid to speak up.” University of Texas at El Paso, San Anto- the not-so-pleasant experiences pick- than with my hands in the middle of Ovations Born in Atascosa County, Flores is the union as an organizer.” Today, much of the advocacy for farm nio College and the CineSol Film Festi- ing cucumbers and squash in the Valley the heat.” O a prime example of a former migrant One of her proudest accomplish- workers continues through the nonprofit val in Edinburg, among other locations. as if it were yesterday. It was the bitter worker who pursued a higher education ments as director of UFW Texas, she says, organization La Union del Pueblo Entero, out-of-state and returned home to advo- was organizing farm workers so they founded by Chávez in 1989. Its national Raquel R. Marquez, cate for field laborers’ rights. She recalls could speak on issues that affected them office is in San Juan, Texas, and serves Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology going to Wisconsin to pick cherries, in the fields. She witnessed the results of farm worker families in areas such as city B.S. in applied sociology, Texas State University; M.S., Ph.D., UT Austin sugar beets and onions in 1955 with her that when the first Texas UFW conven- services, immigration and social services. My students might say… I’m tough but they learn a lot from me. family after her father lost their 40-acre tion was held in Pharr in 1979. Marquez, whose expertise is in border In my leisure time… I love to garden, hike and read as much as I can. farm during a drought. Her story is also “This was a momentous event studies, Chicano studies, race and immi- My favorite place in the world is…Buenos Aires, Argentina. I love the people, included in Marquez’s film. because of the hundreds of farm work- gration issues, has been researching the the ambiance, the culture and the food. “Looking back on how we lived, con- ers who attended,” Flores says. “And here UFW of Texas since 2007. But she says When I retire… I plan to travel the U.S. back roads and read, read and read: the clas- ditions were substandard,” the 66-year- were farm workers who never thought that she always has had an interest in sics; Mexican social and political history; anything about immigrants and immigration, globally; anything related to race; and mysteries. old San Antonio resident says. “We didn’t they could be leaders, and they were labor unions and how they came to be a

16 17 Music

Summer voices on the UTSA voice professor and renowned as performance anxiety and negativ- The students’ music is put on a Web soprano Linda Poetschke delivers a life- ity. The instructors work on the students’ site, where other students judge the altering experience to her students as language skills, their movement and pieces they like the best. Sebald hopes well, but her training is more like music acting, and their voice. Every weekend, to one day create a CD or a Web site with By Leigh Anne GullettMove boot camp, blending physical endur- the students perform and gain instant a compilation of the students’ best works. ance training with intense vocal training. feedback from a panel of teachers and Mostly, he wants students to have the What is music? Is it the clear, lyrical sound of a soprano voice? Her summer voice institute is in its sec- coaches. chance to make their own music rather Does it come from those who have spent years under intense tutelage ond year; this summer, 30 students took “When they come out, they have a lot than simply learning and performing part in the intensive four-week program of tools, even if they don’t realize their someone else’s masterpiece. Plus, it’s or from a toddler beating a steady rhythm on kitchen pots and pans? in Taos, N.M. dream of some day performing with an music for the masses. “Now you can get For three UTSA music instructors— The schedule is grueling. The Opera Hans Krasa and first performed by the Like McCrary’s opera program, the opera company,” says Poetschke. “There directly to the heart of making music William McCrary, Linda Poetschke and Guild books and plans the performances children of Theresienstadt concentra- schedule is demanding, with weekly per- are so many talented singers and there without having to filter it through 20 Dave Sebald—the answer is all of the and pays each student a stipend for their tion camp in occupied Czechoslovakia formances and a challenging curriculum. aren’t that many places to perform, so years of developing technique,” he says. above and more. The power of music to work. The students earn every penny. during World War II. Krasa, along with Four teachers and four coaches team up that’s why we want to keep it going. You Sebald sees value in every musical soothe, to excite, to move the soul finds Once they are selected for the produc- many of the opera’s original performers, and rotate the students through a vari- never finish learning. You still have so creation, regardless of its depth or bril- expression in myriad forms, both in and tion, they log countless hours learning were transported to Auschwitz where ety of lessons. When they start going on many lessons to hone your craft.” liance. For some, creating music comes out of the classroom. Here, we high- the opera and rehearsing. There are 5 they either died or were killed. Brundibar, auditions, the students have to be able easily, he says. “But does that make stu- light three of COLFA’s many successful a.m. wake-up calls for 6 a.m. rehears- however, lived on with its triumph-of- to present four or five arias in Italian, Their own music dents who create more ordinary music music programs that approach music in als. Finally, there is the intense perfor- good-over-evil storyline. French, English, Czech, Russian and Ger- Music isn’t only for the classically trained, less [musical]?” different ways. mance schedule—last year there were More than 60 years later, McCrary and man. Poetschke’s instructors make sure according to UTSA associate professor While one creation could be the For McCrary, an associate professor 30 performances at about 20 schools— his band of students traveled to Terezin they are ready. Dave Sebald. In his world, anyone can equivalent of a Beethoven symphony, in the music department and director crammed into less than a month. At and became the first Americans to per- When they aren’t working on improv- create music. “You’re not limited now,” another could be as simple as “Twinkle, of UTSA’s Lyric Theatre, music, for the times, that meant as many as three per- form the opera in its tragic birthplace. ing voice or language skills, students are he says. “Whereas a hundred years ago Twinkle, Little Star,” he says. But ultimate- moment, is a children’s story. Always formances a day. Hard work aside, for As fate would have it, two Theresien- tending to their physical well-being with only specially trained people could create ly, “it doesn’t matter. They’re all their own involved in children’s theater, McCrary both the college students and their audi- stadt survivors, one who had been in the an hour of exercise, ranging from Pilates music, anybody can create music now.” creation. There’s more to music than just teamed up with the Opera Guild of San ences, the experience is priceless. opera’s original production, were able to hiking, each day. They meet with exer- As director of music technology at playing somebody else’s march.” Antonio about six years ago to bring McCrary says many of the students to see the performance. “The Brundibar cise and nutrition experts and are served UTSA, Sebald teaches digital music pro- Opera to Go to San Antonio schools. involved in the production are actu- experience for our students was once in nutritionally sound meals with an eye duction. He also takes his class to San So what is music? It’s everything from By 2009, the program was reaching ally music education majors rather than a lifetime,” says McCrary. “Everybody was toward teaching a healthy, disciplined Antonio Independent School District hundreds of students. music performance majors, but he tries crying. I still to this day have not been lifestyle. classrooms where they teach acous- the sound of a toddler banging pots and McCrary has eight UTSA students not to differentiate between the educa- able to figure out how to express it. It’s “People don’t realize it, but singing tics, digital audio theory, synthesis, and pans to the wail of an electric guitar. And performing The Pied Piper of Hamlin tion, music marketing and performance one of those education experiences as a is an athletic endeavor,” says Poetschke. sound and audio engineering. The stu- that, the UTSA musicians say, is what three weeks out of the year, with chil- students. He sees no reason why a high teacher that you just can’t re-create.” “It’s like a gymnast trains for years or a dents get an in-depth base of theoretical makes it so wonderful. There is music dren from each school playing rats and school music department couldn’t stage McCrary says he plans to bring Brundi- runner trains for years. They have to be knowledge and are creating their own O townspeople. its own opera someday and calls the pro- bar back as part of the regular rotation disciplined in that training. We try to audio files in the very first week of class. everywhere. cess an incredible education tool. of three or four operas his students per- help them with that. We really try to help “This is a unique program,” says While the program’s fairy tale operas form. With the continued support of the them with life issues as well as the obvi- Sebald. “You’ve got to hand it to [SAISD can be whimsical and fun, one of its first Opera Guild of San Antonio, McCrary ous issues they encounter as singers.” for] really taking the bull by the horns performances, the opera Brundibar, can can keep the opera show on the road, Part of the help is one-on-one consul- and investing a lot of money to get it to only be described as life altering. Brundi- switching performances every two years. tation with a performance psychologist. the kids.” Illustration by Janice Kun bar is a children’s opera composed by The psychologist addresses issues such 18 19 alumni profile Brenda Davidson-Shaddox

A window into the hidden world of Myanmar Photographer captures the essence and beauty of the country’s ethnic tribes and landscape

By Rudy Arispe

either 117-degree heat nor treacher- “It led to me going to Myanmar for 12 years elaborate, tattooed faces. She kept a close eye ous terrain prevents Brenda Davidson- now,” she says. “I go from around November to on Davidson-Shaddox and slowly inched closer Shaddox from what has become a February every year during the winter season, and closer. When Davidson-Shaddox motioned Nlabor of love: photographing the isolated, ethnic although they don’t really have a winter. It’s with her camera that she would like to take the tribes who live in the jungles and the mountains always very hot.” woman’s picture, the woman turned and fled. of Myanmar. Several years ago, Davidson-Shaddox, who “I thought, ‘She’s not going to let me take her On her annual trips to the Asian country, lives in Bandera, Texas, began submitting travel picture.’ But she came back. She went home to formerly known as Burma, Davidson-Shaddox articles with related photographs to local pub- put on her best dress,” she says, smiling. endures a 30-hour journey by plane. But that’s lications. One of those stories that appeared in During her treks through Myanmar, David- the easy part. She once undertook a 31-day the San Antonio Express-News caught the eye son-Shaddox usually travels with a local guide trek into Myanmar’s Hkakabo Razi National Park of the curator of the Texas State Museum of and a translator. Sometimes she will have a to photograph the pygmy Taron people. On Asian Cultures in Corpus Christi. Impressed with cook. Being in such isolated areas of the coun- another occasion, the 69-year-old photojournal- Davidson-Shaddox’s work, she contacted the try doesn’t allow the photographer the luxury of ist spent three days boating along the Chindwin photographer and invited her to present her first choice meals. She’s lucky if her cook can buy a River to reach a village called Hkamti to photo- exhibit of the ethnic people of Myanmar, along chicken or pork for dinner from villagers. graph the Naga people of the Western Yoma with textiles and artifacts she collected from “A lot of times we just have veggies that my mountains. each tribe, in 2002. cook gathers,” Davidson-Shaddox says. “One “Topography in Myanmar is varied,” David- Serendipity intervened again a few years later time she sautéed wild begonia leaves. It tastes son-Shaddox says. “So I’ve Jeeped, hiked, ridden when Davidson-Shaddox was in Myanmar pass- just like spinach.” elephants and even bullock carts to reach my ing out some of her photographs. Charles Fran- Davidson-Shaddox’s love and admiration destination.” cis, a Washington, D.C., lobbyist, approached for the people of Myanmar and its natural envi- About 20 of Davidson-Shaddox’s photo- and asked if those were her pictures. ronment has led her to do whatever she can to The Little Monk: All Buddhist boys, generally starting around age 6 or 7, go into monasteries graphs from her journeys to Myanmar are “I said, ‘Yes,’ and then he said, ‘How would you make life a little brighter for them. for religious studies for at least 2 weeks every year. Their heads are shaved. They must don the robes of a monk and live the life of a monk. This practice continues throughout their lives, included in the exhibit Far Places Close: Photo- like to do an exhibit?’ I ended up doing an exhib- “They are so desperately poor,” Davidson- if they are good Buddhists. graphic Essays of South Asia, which ran from Sept. it at Georgetown University,” she says. Shaddox says. “I support an orphanage there, Julia in Shadows: Julia is of the Lisu ethnic group. She chose to take a Western name after hearing the name “Julia” on a television program. 2 to Oct. 11 in the Main Campus Art Gallery of Just as Davidson-Shaddox is fascinated with and I was able to get two American doctors to Naga Girl with Headbasket: Young tribal women shop in local markets and carry their purchases the Arts Building. the Myanmar tribes—Bahmar, Mon, Kachin, help me with that.” home in baskets hanging down their backs, held in place by a strap wrapped around the head. “She has very striking photographs,” says Chin, Kayah, Kayin, Rakhine and Shan— they are Last year, Davidson-Shaddox raised enough curator Scott Sherer, associate professor of art equally intrigued by her. contributions from family and friends to help history. “What is remarkable is the direct com- “In the mountains and remote villages, I repair the orphanage after it was damaged by a munication between Brenda and the people of was the first Westerner some of them ever saw,” cyclone. She also was able to make a substantial Life Changing Myanmar, and she’s engaged with them, and as Davidson-Shaddox says. “Children will come up payment, she says, on 50 acres where the Bud- After a successful business career as a managing director for a local commercial developer, Brenda Davidson-Shaddox decided to pursue a college education at viewers we’re engaged as well.” and touch my hair. They are wonderful people. I dhist monks and older kids of the orphanage age 40. She graduated from UTSA in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in English. Although Davidson-Shaddox has never stud- can go into a village and people will rush out to can grow rice. They already have dug a fishpond “I went back to school as an adult, so I was ready,” she says. “It was the best thing ied photography professionally, the West Virgin- invite me to tea and food. But I’ve learned I can’t and are growing fruits and vegetables, which are I could have done, and it changed my life.” ia native took photographs with a box camera as do that anymore because if you refuse one [fam- expected to provide them with food throughout She credits an English professor for giving her the courage to pursue her dreams of writing professionally. She has published poetry and nonfiction travel a child and delighted in shooting portraits of her ily], they lose face.” the year. pieces for various publications around San Antonio since the mid-1980s. family. In 1997, a friend asked if she would like She recalled one incident when she was play- Davidson-Shaddox plans to return to Myan- “My freshman composition professor gave me an A-plus on one of my papers to tag along to Myanmar to take photographs ing with an inquisitive group of children under a mar in November to visit the orphanage and with a note at the bottom that read, ‘You must share your writing with the world,’ ” Davidson-Shaddox says. “That gave me the confidence to send some of my poetry O as part of a support team while he researched banyan tree. Standing some distance away was photograph the town of Lokai. to a publisher, and he published my work. Getting a liberal arts degree has led to freshwater river dolphins. a woman from the Chin tribe, known for their everything I am doing today.” 20 21 to finish the debate season by winning six Faculty Students out of eight preliminary rounds in the Cross Examination Debate Association’s (CEDA) John Nix, associ- Patricia Trujillo, 2008 Ph.D. graduate in the championship. Montee and Thomas advanced ate professor in Department of English, has accepted a tenure- to the elimination rounds seeded 14th in a the Department track position in the Department of English field of over 200 teams from across the coun- of Music, was at Colorado State University in Pueblo. try. Both were honored with CEDA’s All Amer- Awards and Accolades nominated as edi- Marco Cervantes, ican Debater Award, placing them among the tor of the Vocal a doctoral candidate top 25 individual debaters in the country. Music Section of in the Department the forthcoming of English, was Oxford Handbook Alumni John Nix awarded a Ford of Music Education, Foundation Dis- Anthony Gutierrez, B.A. in political science which includes a 1,200-page book, a Web site Acevedo receives grant from Hogg sertation Fellowship. 2002, is deputy executive director of the Texas and stand-alone volumes. Foundation for Mental Health Democratic Party. This award, which is Marco Cervantes Gabriel Acevedo, an assistant professor in Rebekah E. Smith, open to anyone in any field, is the most Emma Ruiz, B.A. in English 2006, was hon- the Department of Sociology, is one of 10 ten- assistant professor rigorously refereed fellowship in the nation ored as the Democratic GAIN (Grassroots ure-track faculty members in Texas to receive in the Department for graduate students. This year, only five Action Institute and Network) Rookie of the research grants of $15,000 from the Hogg of Psychology, has dissertation fellowships were offered nation- Year. Ruiz worked on Hillary Clinton’s presi- Foundation for Mental Health. The founda- been awarded a wide in the literature and languages category. dential campaign and for the Young Demo- tion received 35 proposals from faculty at Cervantes’ dissertation project is titled five-year, $1,052,324 crats of America in Washington, D.C. 16 colleges and universities in Texas. grant from the “Afro-Mestizaje: Towards a Theory of Black- The Hogg Foundation was founded National Institutes ness in Tejano Fiction, Poetry and Music.” Lauren Gulbas, M.A. in anthropology 2004, in 1940 by the children of former Texas of Health to study who went on to obtain her Ph.D. at Southern Elizabeth Ann Hubbs, a May 2009 modern Gov. James Hogg to promote improved adult memory. Rebekah E. Smith Methodist University, has accepted the posi- languages and literatures graduate in Spanish, mental health for the people of Texas. The Smith, who directs the UTSA Cognitive Aging tion of research fellow at the Center for Mental Jack Reynolds and Kirsten Gardner was accepted into graduate programs at three foundation’s grants and programs support Lab, is studying prospective memory, the act of Health Services Research in St. Louis, Mo. of five universities to which she applied. She COLFA and the College of Sciences mental health consumer services, research, remembering to complete an action. chose to pursue a master’s certificate in English Dana G. Hooker, B.A. in communication collaborate on teaching project policy analysis and public education projects The site at Miraflores Park Ken Little, professor in the Department linguistics from the United Kingdom Telford 2007, has completed her M.A. with a 4.0 GPA The University of Texas System has awarded in Texas. 3700 B.C. to A.D. of Art and Art History, received the Distin- Academy and its host, the EU Company, in Tai from Abilene Christian University in Abilene, $249,904 to UTSA faculty in the departments of Acevedo will 600. The artifacts guished Alumni Award from the College of Pei, Taiwan. While studying for her certificate, Texas. She also was named the Graduate history and biology through its Transforming examine the influ- were found during Liberal Arts at the University of Utah in March she will also teach English. Researcher of the Year. An assessment created Undergraduate Education grant program. The ences of religious a three-month dig 2009. Little also installed a public work in with her thesis, titled “Children’s Intercultural College of Liberal and Fine Arts and the College involvement and at Miraflores Park, Department of Communication students Austin for the Texas Biennial exhibition in Readiness Assessment (CIRA (c)),” is being of Sciences will contribute another $135,000 to civic participation east of Bracken- Kaela Dawson, Romina Gonzalez, Juliet February 2009. It is a 50-foot-wide picket fence used around the world. This fall, Hooker the project. on mental health ridge Park in Quintero and Tiffany Smith earned an hon- in the shape of the continental United States begins her Ph.D. program at the University Over three years, COLFA historians Kirsten in low-income San Antonio. orable mention in the Public Relations Student titled Homeland Security. of Texas at Austin. Gardner and Jack Reynolds, along with faculty communities. He The artifacts include Society of America (PRSSA) National Bate- from the College of Sciences, will redesign is an expert on the • Ensor projectile point (spear point) man Case Study Competition. Seventy-seven Leanne Haase-Goebel, B.A. in English 1989, was awarded a second place excellence in freshman level courses in their respective sociology of reli- from the Transitional Archaic period teams from across the nation participated in Gabriel Acevedo journalism honor in the “Top of the Rockies” disciplines. The goal is to move more instruc- gion, social theory (200 B.C.–A.D. 600) this year’s competition. This is the fifth time Society of Professional Journalists regional tion commonly delivered in lecture format to and social psychology. • Tortugas projectile point (spear point) in the past six years that UTSA students have competition for best blog. Additionally, Haase- the Web, freeing up classroom time for more from the Middle Archaic period or earlier received such an award. The Bateman is con- Goebel won a third place honor for feature engaging, active learning exercises. UTSA archaeologists discover • Triangular projectile point (spear point) from sidered by many to be the most difficult and writing for “Artist, Gallery Owner Shares The Teaching and Learning Center and its artifacts from 3700 B.C. the Early Archaic period (3700–3600 B.C.) prestigious national competition for public Insights,” published in The Durango Herald, director, Barbara Millis, will offer workshops to Researchers with UTSA’s Center for Archae- • Remnants/segment of a historic relief dam relations majors. and a second place honor for criticism for help faculty members restructure their courses ological Research (CAR) are examining arti- used to stop flow into the old San Antonio Andy Montee, a junior English major, teamed “Ephemeral Biennial,” also published in in accordance with the best teaching practices. facts they recently discovered that date from Water Works Raceway (dam built circa 1877). Homeland Security, 2009, Ken Little with Chris Thomas, a junior business major, The Durango Herald.

22 23 your gifts make a difference in the utsa college of liberal and fine arts Friends who are making a difference

hanks to the generous $250,000 or more Maria E. Cossio-Ameduri May and Victor Lam support the arts at UTSA Mary Pat and Louis H. Stumberg and Ardow Ameduri in a variety of ways: May founded the annual support of our alumni Louis and Mary Pat Stumberg Helene J. (M.B.A. ’06) Asian Festival held at the Institute of Texan Cul- and friends, the College of Foundation and Julio Benitez (B.A. ’02) tures, Victor serves on the COLFA Advisory Richard D. Braune $25,000 to $49,999 Council Advancement Committee, and they are T Ollie S. Bryant Liberal and Fine Arts is the leader 82 Westminster Fund of the members of the UT System Chancellor’s Coun- in many areas of education, research, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta Centro Cultural Cubano of San Antonio cil. In 2007, the Lams were instrumental in Joyce (B.A. ’92) and Richard E. Harris Tenchita and Alfredo L. Flores Jr. bringing Australian aboriginal art to the UTSA creative activity and outreach in Richard and Joyce Harris M. Gabrielle and Daniel J. Gelo San Antonio and South Texas. Sapience Foundation Gayle A. Graham Milton S. Jacobs and John F. McFall (B.B.A. ’92) On behalf of our students, faculty Charlotte and Charles R. Walker HACEMOS Scholarship Foundation The Estate of Lota R. Wilkinson Angelika C. Jansen and Robert Brown and staff, we extend our appreciation Mary Q. Kelly $10,000 to $24,999 to each of the donors who support May K. and Victor Lam The Art Guys National Research Council Sue and John S. Jockusch our mission. We are honored by Magdalena M. (B.B.A. ’88) Edward P. King their generosity and by their belief and Ray J. O’Gwin Margot Marsh Foundation The Harris K. and Lois G. in the value of interdisciplinary Musical Bridges Around the World, Inc. Oppenheimer Foundation Papa John’s Pizza Marianne C. and Stewart R. Reuter learning in the arts, humanities What do piano, strings, and the sciences have in common? The answer is Mary Pat Stumberg Rajam S. and Somayaji Ramamurthy Lee Robinson and Jerald Winakur and her love of music. COLFA and its Department of Music are grateful for a recent gift made University Health System The San Antonio Gardenia & Musical Club and social sciences. Every gift helps by Mrs. Stumberg through the Stumberg Foundation. Mary Pat’s generous gift not only honors San Antonio Oasis us build outstanding programs The USAA Foundation the role that music, especially strings and piano, played in the life of her mother, Marjorie Powell Melinda K. (B.S. ’81) and Louis Schultz May and Victor Lam $5,000 to $9,999 Zachry, but also recognizes the important role that music plays in intellectual development, even Security Service Federal Credit Union that serve the growing needs of the Anonymous for students of science. The gift endowed a keyboard maintenance fund and two new scholar- Art Gallery with an exhibition of The Lam Melissa D. (M.A. ’90) and A.P. Shepherd largest college at UTSA, our students The Augustine Foundation ships. The Stumberg Keyboard Maintenance Endowment will help care for the department’s new Collection of Aboriginal Art. Recently, the Ernstine K. Studer ExxonMobil Corporation Steinway D concert grand piano and other keyboard instruments. The Marjorie Powell Zachry couple created the Wai Ching Lam Endowed Univision Management Company and the greater community. Law School Admission Council Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Strings will attract and retain talented string musicians, and Art Prize in honor of Victor’s mother, herself an Wal-Mart Foundation Please join us in celebrating the Russell Hill Rogers Fund for the Arts the Stumberg Endowed Scholarship for Interdisciplinary Studies in Music and the Sciences will accomplished artist. Each year funds from the Suzanne E. and Dennert O. Ware University Bowl benefit students whose course of study combines musical and scientific learning. endowment allow the Department of Art and Jo Ann P. Wigodsky following individuals, businesses, Loretta (B.A. ’77, M.A. ’80) Art History to award a competitive prize to an foundations and organizations that, and Robert E. Valdez (M.A. ’08) Linda and Charles Winston outstanding student artist. The student whose Whataburger – Western Division Lilia and W. Gregory Wojcik Drs. Rajam and Somayaji Ramamurthy work is judged “best of show” at the annual jur- Sheila D. (B.A. ’96) and A.W. Wright through their giving, enhance our $2,500 to $4,999 have made a commitment to establish the ied art exhibition earns the Wai Ching Lam Art Rajam and Somayaji Ramamurthy Endowed Prize. The 2009 recipient was Jessica Ramirez, college’s mission. We especially want Siri S. Bletzer (B.A. ’91) and Richard Lewis Visiting Artist in Indic Dance, Music and a student in the M.F.A. program. Although the Conservation International Foundation to thank the many alumni who chose o see your gifts in action, we invite you Culture at UTSA. The Ramamurthys have Lams are not UTSA alumni, they feel a perma- H-E-B to the Main Campus to attend a COLFA long been advocates for the college through nent connection to the University and are strong to designate their gifts to our college Marcia Gygli King (M.F.A. ’81) T lecture, view an art exhibit or listen to a music Rajam’s service on the Advisory Council. believers in the vital role it plays in the economic Marilyn I. and Lester F. Libow this year. concert (just to mention a few of the many And the couple’s record of giving, which over and cultural development of San Antonio and Teresa Nguyen activities COLFA has to offer each year). We the years includes support of the Dean’s Cir- the region. Although we are grateful for each The Presser Foundation also encourage you to take a guided tour, visit cle, the COLFA Performing Arts Fund, and Reliant Energy and every gift we receive, due to the Center for Archaeological Research, recon- scholarships in Art and Art History, demon- COLFA Alumni Giving Round Top Consulting Associates nect with favorite faculty members or meet with strates their strong belief in the importance of During 2008-2009, over 280 alumni designated San Antonio Musical Club space limitations, the report below Daniel J. Gelo, Dean of the College of Liberal fine arts education and creative activity. The gifts and pledges to the COLFA Annual Fund. lists donors of $1,000 or more for Wendy S. and Thomas A. Wirth and Fine Arts. Please contact Deborah Thomas, Ramamurthys have been champions of dance As UTSA grows, alumni support is crucial to $1,000 to $2,499 assistant to the dean, at (210) 458-4820 or in San Antonio for many years. Their endow- the success of the college. On behalf of COLFA’s the Sept. 1, 2008, to Aug. 31, 2009, Alamo Music Center Inc. [email protected] for more informa- ment will help the Department of Music as it students, faculty and staff, we extend our appre- fiscal year. tion or to make arrangements. plans to develop a dance program at UTSA. ciation to each of our loyal alumni supporters. Drs. Rajam and Somayaji Ramamurthy 24 25 Making a Difference Through Giving College of Liberal and Fine Arts 2008‑2009 Advisory Council

COLFA students, faculty, alumni Unrestricted excellence funds like the COLFA estate plans through bequest, trust, gift Mission Statement and friends are working together Dean’s Circle and the COLFA Annual Fund annuity, life insurance or other means The COLFA Advisory Council is committed provide flexibility in assisting academic become members of the Sombrilla Society, on UTSA’s progress toward becom‑ to promoting excellence in the arts, humani- departments in funding special projects, one of UTSA’s most cherished groups of ties and social sciences and developing ing a premier national research student scholarships, and research, and in alumni and friends. Whether you choose to support for the scholarly and artistic efforts university. Your gifts are helping providing enrichment opportunities that make an outright gift or a planned gift, please of the college. the College of Liberal and Fine enhance the learning experience of our consult your tax or legal adviser for informa- students both in and out of the classroom. tion about the specific benefits of each Arts reach its goals. Here are a 2008–2009 Executive Board method of giving. Chair few opportunities for strategic There are many options for making your gift to UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts, To learn how you can make an investment Maria-Eugenia Cossio-Ameduri investment to consider when and depending on your philanthropic goals, in UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts 2008–2009 Council Members planning your gift: you may find one method more attractive that will inspire future generations, than another. please contact Betty Lee Angle Access to Excellence: Scholarships and Allen Bennett fellowships to attract and retain deserving Outright gifts can be made via cash, securi- Helene Benitez, MBA ’06, CFRE Robert P. Braubach students and help them realize their fullest ties, personal property and real estate and may COLFA Development Officer Ollie Bryant potential. be claimed as charitable tax deductions for the The University of Texas at San Antonio Maria-Eugenia Cossio-Ameduri year in which they are made. One UTSA Circle Creating New Knowledge: Endowed faculty Yolanda Crittenden San Antonio, TX 78249-0641 Lisa Dollinger COLFA’s annual Career Expo, an advisory positions allow COLFA to recruit distin- Planned gifts are specially arranged gifts to Phone: (210) 458-4404 Bjorn Dybdahl council–supported event, provides an oppor- guished senior scholars and artists to provide the University made through various instru- E-mail: [email protected] Albert Estrada tunity for COLFA students to explore life leadership in instruction and research and to ments such as wills and trusts and can have UTSA GIVING ON THE WEB: Alfredo L. Flores Jr. opportunities including employment and bring national visibility and recognition to specific tax advantages for you and/or your www.utsa.edu/development Mary Ann Franzke continuing education. programs in the college. heirs. Individuals who include UTSA in their Robin Hogue More than 150 students and 22 employers Angelika Jansen attended the 2009 Career Expo on April 15. Mary Q. Kelly In addition to meeting those recruiters, Victor Lam students learned about résumé-building John McFall techniques such as volunteering or com- Sally Hoffman McNeel pleting internships for class credit. COLFA Joaquin G. Mira representatives were on hand to discuss the Amparo H. Ortiz college’s student-related organizations and Jane Cheever Powell certified programs. Also, graduate and law Rajam S. Ramamurthy school admissions representatives provided Marianne C. Reuter information about continuing education John Santikos opportunities. Ernstine Studer Linda Winston Frank Villani Attention COLFA Alumni W. Gregory Wojcik Have you been in touch lately? We also are interested in your unique Clinton Wright The UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts or fascinating stories or those of other is building its alumni network. Please send COLFA alumni you may know. Please your name and current contact information share them with us for possible publication. to [email protected].

26 27 ovations UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts

DEAN, Daniel J. Gelo ASSOCIATE DEAN, Student Affairs Christopher Wickham Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies Augustine Osman ASSISTANT TO THE DEAN, Deborah D. Thomas DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Helene Benitez EDITOR, Lety Laurel ART DIRECTOR, Karen Thurman ASSOCIATE EDITORS, Joe Michael Feist, Rebecca Luther CONTRIBUTORS, Rudy Arispe, Lisa Chontos, Leigh Anne Gullett, Kate Hunger, Jennifer Roolf Laster, Cindy Tumiel PHOTOGRAPHERS Patrick Dunn, Mark McClendon ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS Frank Segura DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS Elton Smith EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND CREATIVE SERVICES Craig Evans ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING David Gabler VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Marjie French

College of Liberal and Fine Arts One UTSA Circle HSS 4.01.23 Detail from mural painted by Artemio Guerra Garza, UFW union hall in San Juan, Texas. San Antonio, TX 78249-4350 Photo by Josue Esparza. (210) 458-4350 (210) 458-ARTS ©2009 Ovations is the annual publication of the College of Liberal and Fine Arts (COLFA) at The University (for arts events information) of Texas at San Antonio. Ovations is for our patrons, faculty, staff, alumni and friends to highlight some of http://colfa.utsa.edu/colfa/ the achievements and activities of the college.

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